Kadie laughed softly. Hard to remember he’d been in agony only a short time ago and now he was flirting shamelessly, as if there wasn’t a vindictive witch out there hoping to destroy him.
They had to find a way to defeat Elowynne, she thought. Because she couldn’t imagine a life without him in it.
~ * ~
The witches met in neutral territory – an Italian restaurant in Cheyenne. Over spaghetti and meatballs and lasagna they discussed Elowynne and her hold on Saintcrow.
“My cuff is helping calm his rage,” Izabela said. “But it isn’t preventing Elowynne from physically torturing him.”
Alara nodded as she speared a meatball. “Physical spells are far more difficult to thwart than mental ones. Sometimes they backfire.”
Izabela nodded. “I think we’re going about this all wrong. Instead of trying to protect Saintcrow, we need to find a way to destroy Elowynne.”
Alara frowned thoughtfully then nodded. “It won’t be easy. If she was just a witch, it would be no problem. But her vampire powers give her an edge we lack.”
A slow grin spread over Izabela’s face. “Have you ever thought about becoming a vampire?”
Chapter Eighteen
Saintcrow sat on one of the wrought-iron benches in the park, his thoughts turned toward Elowynne. Where was she? What mischief was she conjuring? Was it her intention to destroy him? Drive him mad? Or just torture him at her whim for the rest of his existence? Could he have avoided all this by simply taking her to bed all those centuries ago? If he had sex with her now – assuming Kadie was right and the witch still wanted him – would she call off her vendetta?
He muttered an oath. Elowynne wasn’t the first vampire he had rejected. That honor went to Eleni. Dammit! What cruel twist of fate had entangled his life with not one but two vindictive vampires? Just his luck that they were half-sisters. What were the odds?
He ran his fingers over the copper cuff on his wrist. So far, it had kept his temper in check.
As if Elowynne knew his thoughts, a sudden explosion of pain splintered through him. With a harsh cry, he fell to his knees as agony rolled over him in whitei-hot waves.
Moments later, Kincaid and Kadie were beside him.
When Kadie reached for him, he rasped, “Don’t touch me!”
The sound of Elowynne’s amused laughter rang out in his mind as the pain increased. A moment later, the pain was gone. He lay there, bathed in sweat and humiliation. Damnation! He was one of the most powerful creatures on earth, yet that vindictive witch had him cowering on the ground like a whipped puppy.
“Rylan?”
He groaned softly. “Go home, Kadie.”
“But...”
“Dammit, go home!”
Kadie glanced at Jake, who nodded. Blinking back her tears, she transported herself back to their lair.
Saintcrow glared at Kincaid. “You can go, too.”
“You’re not the boss of me,” Jake retorted. “Hell, I’ve seen you in pain before.”
Sitting up, Saintcrow muttered, “Don’t remind me. Dammit, she was laughing at me.”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
“I heard her in my mind. She was gloating, damn her hide.”
“Well, she does seem to have the upper hand at the moment,” Jake remarked.
“Yeah. How are we going to change that?”
Offering Saintcrow a hand up, Jake said, “I wish I knew. We need a miracle.”